Derek R wrote:
Hi group,

First time poster (and beginner gardener) here. I have a question
which is probably laughably simple to you lot but remember, I'm a
newbie...

What kind of weeds are these?

http://www.redpath.fireflyinternet.c...mages/weed.jpg

...and how can I get rid of them? They seem to be all over my back
lawn. I've tried pulling them up but most of them break away at the
root.

Ignore anybody who laughs at you: a true gardener won't. It looks
like a sow-thistle, or some kind of thistle, to me: if it is
something like that, you'll get a milky sap when you break it.

But it doesn't matter much what it is: these rosette- forming weeds
are usually controllable with ordinary lawn weedkillers used
according to the instructions on the packet. I'm afraid you'll
probably need more than one application, though. If budget isn't
desperately tight, it's worth buying the cheapest spreader at the
same time as you get the killer; you can do it by hand even if you're
as clumsy as I am, but I've never been able to get a perfectly even
spread.

You can also loosen each one with a fork and pull it out by hand; but
any bit of root left behind will grow. I prefer it this way, as I
like to keep selected wildflowers in my lawn; but it's a hell of a
hassle.

What you can't do is expect these rosette-forming weeds to give up if
you simply mow over them: they just hug the ground a bit closer and
laugh at you.

Mike.